Truth and Triumph
by Mette A
Summary: This is my response to DannyFan66 and Ichbin's 'Triumph' challenge. The story picks up after the episode 'A Hanukkah Story'.


**Title:** Truth and Triumph.

**Rating:** T

**Spoiler:** It takes place after the episode 'A Hanukkah Story'.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters from The Nanny.

**NOTE:** This is my response to DannyFan66 and Ichbin's 'Triumph' challenge. I changed the word from 'this' to 'that' in the line 'Well, truth be told, I haven't always been in this line of work'. I hope that's okay. :-) I hadn't expected the story to be so long, but I just kept writing. I hope I do the phrases justice. :-)

* * *

"Hey Niles. Have you seen the wrapping paper? The one with the penguins on it?"

Niles stopped dusting the lamp and walked over to Fran, who was sitting by the coffee table in the living room.

"Yes." He looked at her curiously, wondering if she was going to wrap the sweater on the table, in that paper. "You're going to wrap that beautiful sweater in that paper?" She nodded.

"Yeah. It's for Sammy." Understanding he smiled at her.

"I'll just go and get the paper."

"Thanks."

Niles returned a few minutes later with the wrapping paper just as Maxwell and CC entered the living room.

"What's all this? Wrapping Christmas presents already?" Fran smiled at Maxwell.

"Yeah, I thought it was best to get a head start." She held up the wrapping paper. "And is this paper just adorable or what? It reminds me of the zoo." Maxwell smiled while no one else commented. "Did you finish with work?"

"Yes, it's all been taken care of, so I'm free for the rest of the day." CC nodded in agreement.

"So am I." Niles smirked at her.

"You can brag about that all you want, but even free of charge no one wants to touch you." She sent him a glare.

"I think I'll use my free time to go for a drive and get some fresh air. You're stinking up the place." She smirked at him before going to get her coat.

Maggie switched off the TV and she, Brighton, and Gracie groaned slightly.

"There's nothing worth watching on TV. What are we supposed to do now?"

Fran smiled widely as she just came up with a great idea.

"Why don't we all go to the zoo?" They all stared at her.

"The zoo?"

"I don't know, Darling." Fran stood up and gave Maxwell a kiss.

"Oh come on. We can all go. You, me, the kids, Niles, and Ms. Babcock. It'll be lots of fun."

CC quickly walked back to everyone at hearing her name mentioned.

"You want me to go with you to the zoo?"

"Of course. We're friends." Everyone stared incredulously at Fran. CC shook her head to get over the shock.

"Friends? You call us friends?"

"Yeah. We might not have the same kind of friendship as Val and I, but we're still friends. And I'd like to think we've all gotten a little closer since the car accident two days ago. Now, how about the zoo? You did say you wanted some fresh air." CC sighed knowing it would be impossible to get out of going. And especially since Fran had been so nice to her, since the car accident and everyone else had too.

"Sure, I'll go."

Fran clapped her hands in excitement.

"Oh I'm so happy."

Knowing CC was going Maxwell knew he couldn't get out of it.

"Well, I guess that means we're all going to the zoo. Go get your coats on, children."

Everyone went to the closet to get their coats when the doorbell rang. Niles answered and Sylvia, Yetta, and Val walked in.

"Ma, what are you all doing here?"

"We thought we'd just drop by for some coffee and cake." Niles felt the need to roll his eyes. Sylvia frowned. "Are you all going out?"

"Yeah, we're going to the zoo. Do you want to come?" Val got very excited.

"I would love to come. I haven't been to the zoo in ages." Sylvia shrugged.

"Well, they do have that chocolate ice-cream there that I love so much. I guess I could go."

"Perfect. Let's go."

"I'll need to get a glass of water first. The pretzel I had on the way over here made me thirsty."

"Alright but hurry up, Ma."

* * *

When Sylvia entered the kitchen she noticed the newly baked chocolate cake. She immediately walked over to it and lifted the lid and inhaled deeply.

"God I love the way you smell."

She was just about to stick her finger in the cake when Fran's yelling from the living room interrupted her.

"MA, HURRY UP. WE NEED TO GET GOING."

"I'M COMING." She put the lid back on the cake and looked at it dreamingly. "I will have you. Never doubt it, not for a second." She quickly got herself a glass of water and left the kitchen.

* * *

Coming back to the living room she found everyone waiting for her.

"Ma, hurry up."

"Alright, alright already."

Fran looked at Val.

"How did you all get here?"

"I drove us here."

"Well, I think we should take the limo to the zoo. That way we won't get lost from each other." She turned to look at Maxwell. "Is that alright, Honey?" He nodded.

"Of course." Val clapped her hands in excitement.

"We can play car games." Fran got excited too.

"Ooh, great idea, Val. I haven't played car games in long time. Let's go."

When everyone but Niles and CC had walked out the door, CC groaned.

"This is not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to go for a drive."

Niles nodded in agreement before they both left the mansion.

* * *

After paying for their tickets Fran turned around to look at everyone.

"So what's everyone in the mood for?"

"I'm in the mood for chocolate ice-cream."

"Where's that at, Ma?"

"In the south end of the zoo."

"That's in the opposite direction. You really want to go all that way now?" Sylvia smiled.

"It's chocolate ice-cream, Darling. I don't care how many miles I have to travel, the distance will never be too great." Fran nodded.

"How about we meet up by the lions in three hours?"

"I think I should be done by then."

"I'm going with her."

"Okay Yetta. Have fun." They watched Sylvia and Yetta walk off. Fran turned to look at everyone else. "So, what do you want to see first?"

"Why don't we split up? Brighton, Gracie, and I can meet you guys by the lions in three hours, too."

"That's fine by me if it's fine with your father." They looked at Maxwell and he nodded.

"Of course. Have fun."

"You too."

When Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie had left Fran looked at the rest, who was left.

"I guess it's just the five of us. We're going to have so much fun."

CC felt the need to roll her eyes.

* * *

They'd walked around for an hour looking at different animals, but only Fran and Val had really seemed to enjoy themselves the most. However, Niles had enjoyed throwing remarks at CC at how the zoo had many different kinds of species of her kind there.

"Was that a polar bear?" Val walked back a few steps and took another look. "Yeah, the polar bears are this way. Come on, Ms. Babcock."

CC groaned. For the past hour Val had been nothing but annoying in CC's eyes.

"Right now, I could kill her with my bare hands!"

Niles was the only one, who heard her, and he chuckled silently nearby.

"Ms. Babcock, are you coming or what?" CC shook her head frustrated at Val.

"I'M COMING."

CC took a couple of steps but ended up slipping on a bit of ice on the ground and fell flat on her back. Fran walked up to her and looked down on her.

"Ms. Babcock, are you alright?" She pointed at her slightly exposed stomach. "You know, I can see your belly button."

CC quickly pulled her coat across her stomach and sent Fran a glare.

"Don't just stand there. Help me up."

Fran helped her up and helped her to get her coat and clothes smoothed out before CC could object. She then caught a glance at some elderly women looking at them.

"Ooh, Ms. Babcock, I do believe those ladies are staring at us. How about we give them something to really stare at?" Fran began to run her hand up CC's arm seductively, but CC quickly slapped her hand away.

"Would you cut that out?"

"Oh relax. I was just teasing you, and having some fun with those ladies, who wouldn't stop staring." Fran looked in their direction and was happy to see that they were no longer there. She then looked back at CC. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, I'm fine." Fran smiled grabbing her hand and nearly dragged her along.

"Great. Let's go see the polar bears."

* * *

Two hours later Maxwell, Fran, Niles, CC, and Val met up with Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie by the lions.

"Hi guys. Did you have fun?" Fran nodded at Gracie.

"Yeah, we did. Did you?"

"Yeah, we actually did."

"Have you seen Ma and Yetta?"

"No, we didn't run into them. You think they might be lost?"

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised. But let's just wait a little while, and then we can go look for them if they're not here by then."

"Okay."

Fifteen minutes later Sylvia and Yetta walked up to them.

"Ma, what took you so long?"

"We were getting soup and had to wait for the toast to finish."

Val looked at them confusedly.

"Waiting for toast? Why does one wait for toast?" Sylvia rolled her eyes.

"Because, it came with the soup, Val."

"Oh okay. Well, then it makes sense."

"Fran, I promised your father that I'd be home by 6.00." Val nodded.

"I need to get home too."

"That's fine. I think the rest of us have seen all we need to see." She looked around at everyone and they nodded at her.

"I think I'll just grab a cab and head home from here."

"Ms. Babcock, why don't you join us for dinner?"

CC looked at Fran who was smiling at her. In truth she didn't really want to go home and eat alone. And seeing as Val wouldn't be at the mansion, she figured she might as well eat dinner with them.

"I suppose I can do that. But I need to go home and take a shower first. I feel like I stink from being at the zoo." Niles shook his head at her and smirked.

"That's not from the zoo. That's how you normally smell." She gave him a glare.

"Shut up, Mr. I-smell-like-cleaning-products." She took out her phone to call a cap. She groaned frustrated when she couldn't get a signal. "How come there is no cell service in the middle of freakin' Manhattan!?!"

"Well, if you had brought your broom, you'd be home in no time."

Maxwell gave Niles a warning look.

"Niles." He then looked at CC and smiled a little. "CC, I'm sure you'll be able to catch a cab once we leave the zoo. We're all headed the same way, so if you're unable to get a cab, we'll take you home." CC nodded and everyone left the zoo.

Just as Maxwell had said there were a few cabs outside the zoo. CC turned to look at Maxwell before stepping into the cab.

"I'll see you in a little while." He nodded and when Val was just about to step up to CC to hug her, CC quickly got into the cab wanting to get away as fast as she could. "47th street. If you can get me there in 15 minutes, there's an extra 50 in it for you."

* * *

When everyone got back to the mansion they all said a quick goodbye to Sylvia, Yetta, and Val. Fran watched them drive off before closing the door.

Niles looked at Maxwell and Fran after putting their coats away.

"If it's alright with you, I think I'll just go and change my clothes before starting on dinner."

"Of course, Old Man." Niles nodded and walked up to his room while Maxwell and Fran sat down on the couch.

* * *

In the kitchen Maggie and Brighton both got themselves a soda from the fridge and then went upstairs. Sylvia had been looking in from the window in the door, and she walked in when the coast was clear.

She quickly made her way over to the chocolate cake and got it out of its container.

"I've been thinking about you all day. You're coming home with me." She heard movements from upstairs and quickly got a plastic bag out from her purse and put the cake in that. She just made it out of mansion in time for no one to see her.

Seconds later Maxwell entered the kitchen. He looked around and frowned at the empty container where the cake had been seconds before. He then looked in the fridge as Niles came down the stairs. Maxwell closed the fridge and looked at Niles.

"Niles, didn't you say that you made a chocolate cake?" Niles put on his apron, and merely gestured to the container with his back turned.

"Yes, it's right there on the counter, Sir."

"No, it's not."

Niles walked over there and stared at the empty container.

"It was right here! It didn't get up and walk away by itself!"

Just then Gracie walked into the kitchen.

"Did Sylvia forget something?" Maxwell looked at her.

"What do you mean, Sweetheart?"

"Well, I saw Val park the car around back, and Sylvia got out. I just assumed she forgot something." Niles and Maxwell looked at each other.

"I guess, we know what happened to the chocolate cake now, Sir." Maxwell nodded while rolling his eyes.

"Yes, the mystery is solved."

"There's plenty of ice-cream in the freezer. I guess that will have to do for dessert."

"Yes. I'll just go and break the bad news to Fran about there not being any chocolate cake."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

* * *

A couple of hours later everyone was eating ice-cream in the dining room. Fran pouted slightly at not eating chocolate cake, but she instead decided to focus on the day's trip to the zoo. She looked at Maxwell and smiled.

"So, did you enjoy yourself today, Sweetie?" He smiled at her.

"You know, I actually did. It was nice and quite relaxing. And it made me think."

"About what?"

"About how we should all take a trip together."

"Ooohh, a trip. That's a great idea. Where and when?"

"Well, I actually thought we could leave tomorrow." She looked at him surprised.

"Really? So soon?"

"Yes. The children can easily get time off from school, and CC and I aren't busy with work, so we can both go. I thought we could just leave for a few days and then come back for the last night of Hanukkah and celebrate that with your family. That way we'll also be home in time for Christmas Eve."

"Sounds perfect. Did you also have a place in mind?"

"Yes, I thought we could go to Canada."

CC had generally been happy about being included in the trip, but didn't really feel like going from one snow covered place to another. She shook her head at Maxwell.

"Canada? Why on earth should I go to Canada?"

"Come now, CC, it'll be lots of fun. We could all use some time away after the scare we recently had being stuck in the car. And as you remember, you didn't get a chance to ski when we went to Aspen. Canada is a perfect choice. It'll do you some good." Fran smiled at CC.

"Please say you'll come with us." CC sighed but then nodded.

"Alright, I'll come." She wiped her mouth on her napkin and put it back on the table. "Since we're leaving tomorrow, I guess I better get home and pack." Maxwell nodded.

"Good idea. Niles will make the arrangements and call you with the details."

CC noticed a slight smirk on Niles' face and then looked back at Maxwell shaking her head.

"I think it's best if you call me, Maxwell. If Dust Mop over there calls me with the details, he'll have me over here at 3.00 in the morning." Maxwell nodded knowingly.

"Yes, I suppose you're right about that." He then looked at Niles. "Niles, you better make the arrangement right away then. I don't want to have to call CC at 2.00 in the morning, and I doubt you don't want me to either." He raised an eyebrow at Niles which made CC smirk. Niles gave Maxwell a nod.

"Of course not, Sir." Niles noticed CC's smirk, and gave her his lopsided grin in return. Indeed he would probably have had her over much too early in the morning.

CC stood up.

"Well, I'm off. See you all tomorrow."

They all said goodbye to her and went about planning and packing for the trip.

* * *

The next morning everyone went to pick up CC.

"Hello, hello all."

"Good morning, Ms. Babcock. Where's Chester?"

"I took him to a kennel." Fran gaped slightly at CC.

"You're not bringing him?"

"No. As you remember, Chester is much the reason why, I got injured the last time I had a chance to ski. I'm not risking falling over his leash again."

"I could've looked after him seeing as I won't be skiing."

"I'm sure you'll find something else to do with your time. Nanny Fine." Fran shrugged.

"I suppose so, but it would still have been nice to have him along." CC merely rolled her eyes.

* * *

After checking into their rooms, they all went to unpack and agreed to meet up an hour later.

Niles was happy that he had a room to himself. He thought he'd have to share with Brighton. When he was done unpacking he took an extra look in his suitcase. He groaned out loud when he realized he'd forgotten to pack underwear. Glancing quickly at his watch he realized, he had some time before having to meet up with everyone else. He put on his jacket and grabbed his wallet and key and walked out to buy some underwear.

On his way back to his room after buying underwear, he ran into CC, who came out of her room.

"Well, well, well, Butler Boy. What have you been up to?"

"Nothing important, Babs."

"What did you buy?"

"None of your business."

"Oh come on, Niles. Don't be so secretive." Before he had a chance to get the bag out of her reach, she snatched it from him.

"Give that back."

"Not until I've looked inside." She opened the bag and pulled out a pair of boxers. She looked inside the bag and noticed more pairs. "You actually sprung for some new boxers? What, did the elastic finally wear out on your old ones?" She laughed while he rolled his eyes.

"If you must know, I forgot to pack any." She stared at him.

"_You_ forgot to pack underwear. How do _you_ forget to pack underwear?"

"I had to pack for everyone else and make the arrangements, and do a few other things before I had the chance to pack my own bag. It simply slipped my mind. Now, can I please have my underwear back?" She put the boxers back in the bag and handed it to him. "Thank you."

He quickly walked away, so he wouldn't have to listen to any ridicule he was sure would be coming.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day relaxing around the town they were staying in, and in the evening they all went out to dinner.

They next day everyone went out to ski during the day while Fran went out shopping. Maggie and Gracie met up with her in the mid afternoon, and a few hours later everyone else did too.

"So, what do you all want to do this evening?"

"Maggie, Gracie, and I thought about going to see a movie. We thought we would just go and get a burger before the movie starts. Is that okay?" Maxwell nodded.

"That's quite alright. I actually noticed a lovely restaurant yesterday. Fran, Niles, CC, and I could have dinner there, and then we could all meet up later."

"That sounds great, Dad." Maxwell looked at Fran, Niles, and CC.

"Would that be alright with you too?"

"It sounds fantastic, Honey."

"Yes, Sir, it does."

"It's fine by me, Maxwell."

"Splendid. The four of us can meet in the lobby at 7.00 then." He looked at his children. "Call us when you're ready to meet us, and we can discuss details then."

"Okay, Dad. Have a nice evening."

"You too."

* * *

As agreed Maxwell, Fran, Niles, and CC met up in the lobby at 7.00 and walked to the restaurant. When they stood outside they noticed a poster. Maxwell sighed.

"Oh this is too bad. It's couple's night only tonight. They even have a special menu."

"Oooh, the menu looks delicious." Maxwell patted Fran on the back.

"I'm afraid we won't be able to go, Darling. We might be a couple, but Niles and CC aren't."

CC had been looking at the menu too. For once she agreed with Fran about the food. She then looked at Maxwell and shook her head.

"Niles and I can pretend to be a couple. The food does actually look quite delicious, and I'm too hungry and tired to look for another restaurant that looks as good as this one."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, absolutely, Maxwell."

"What about me? Don't I get a say?" They all looked at Niles. CC smirked at him.

"Do you ever?" He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Hazel. You have to admit the food looks delicious." He nodded.

"Fine, I'll pretend we're a couple. But only to shut you up, and because I'm hungry too." Maxwell took an extra glance at them before deciding that it was alright to enter the restaurant. They were greeted by the maitre d.

"Hello, Sir, and welcome. You should be aware that tonight is couple's night, so I assume that you're here with your wife or girlfriend?" Maxwell nodded.

"Yes, this is my wife." He gestured to Fran. "And this is…" He gestured to CC and Niles, but didn't know what to introduce them as.

CC quickly jumped into the conversation at seeing Maxwell's hesitation. If she and Niles were going to pretend to be a couple, there wasn't room for hesitation.

"We're Mr. and Mrs. Babcock."

"Very good, Ma'am. Were you all planning on eating together this evening?" CC took charge of the conversation treating it like it was any other kind of business deal.

"Yes. We do realize, it's couple's night, but we're only in town for a few days, so we want to spend our evenings together. And your restaurant just seemed too lovely to turn down." She flashed him a fake charming smile. The maitre d smiled proudly. "Any chance of the four of us, getting a table together?"

"Well, Ma'am, I'd be happy to accommodate your wishes if it was possible. However, at the moment we don't have two tables available close to each other, and you won't all four be able to fit around one table." All four sighed. "Are you sure I can't persuade you to eat by yourselves tonight? It is a rather lovely menu, we have tonight, and you'll be able to spend some time alone with your husband. With all the food being for two, it will be more romantic with just the two of you."

CC wanted to glare at him for throwing the same sweet bullshit talk back in her face. Instead she gave him a fake sweet smile.

"I'll have to talk it over with the rest. Excuse us." She gently pushed them a few steps away, so that they maitre d wouldn't be able to hear. "What do we do now? We can't sit next to each other."

"I don't know. The town seems to be rather crowded because of the Holiday season, so it might be difficult to get a table somewhere else. It could be late before we find another table, and we do have to meet with the children."

"I agree with Max. Besides, the menu sounds really delicious, and I do need to eat soon." Fran patted her stomach and CC sighed.

"What do you say, Old Man? Do you think it would be alright for Fran and I to eat alone? You can send the waiter over with your bill, and I'll pay it."

Niles sighed too. It wasn't that he had a problem with eating alone with CC. If fact he would love nothing more. However, he would rather want them to be an actual couple instead of only pretending to be one. He nodded.

"I suppose so, Sir."

"It's settled then. Now, you two try to be on your best behavior. After all, the maitre d thinks you're married." Maxwell and Fran both laughed slightly while CC and Niles rolled their eyes. Maxwell walked back up to the maitre d. "We've decided to stay."

"Outstanding, Sir. Right this way."

The maitre d escorted Maxwell and Fran to their table, and then escorted Niles and CC to their table. The tables were in opposite directions and Niles and CC both sighed. When they sat down and the maitre d had gone, Niles gave CC a slight glare, and was a bit annoyed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Babcock? Is that the best you could come up with? Now what are we going to do?" She rolled her eyes at him.

"What was I supposed to say? You claim to have no last name, so I couldn't use yours. That only left mine."

"You could've just told him I was your boyfriend."

"Maxwell didn't think fast enough, so I had to. Letting the maitre d think we were married was the best I could come up with. It's not like it matters anyway. If we're just civil to each other, we'll be just fine and no one will be able to tell that we're not a couple."

Niles took a look around at some of the other couples.

"I refuse to feed you like some of the other couples are doing."

"We don't have to do anything anyone else is doing. As long as we get along we should be just fine. Agreed?" Niles nodded reluctantly.

"Agreed."

* * *

When dinner was over, all four met up outside the restaurant.

"Oy was that a fabulous dinner or what? Did you enjoy yourselves?" Niles and CC rolled their eyes at Fran's question.

They had tried to be civil to each other to begin with, but one polite comment from Niles about their surroundings had made CC throw a remark at him instead. They'd ended up throwing zingers at each other all through dinner, and CC had even insulted the waiter and a few couples dining, who had all looked at them oddly. Niles had tried to smooth out the situation by telling everyone that CC was going through menopause. That hadn't made things better between him and CC.

"Not exactly, Mrs. Sheffield."

"That's an understatement."

For once Fran remained silent. She and Maxwell had both been able to hear a bit of their arguing when they'd been at the loudest. Instead of commenting any further, she looked at her watch.

"Well, the kids called, so we better go meet them."

* * *

The next morning they all ate breakfast together. Fran noticed that Niles and CC didn't exactly greet each other when they'd arrived at the table. However, Maxwell hadn't noticed, and was at the present moment reading a newspaper.

"Hey Dad, would it be alright if Maggie, Gracie, and I spend the day alone? We got to talking to some kids yesterday, and they asked if we'd like to go skiing with them, and then hang out with them in town later." Maxwell looked up from the newspaper.

"I don't know, Brighton. We were supposed to spend the day together."

"But they're leaving tomorrow. We're not leaving until the day after, so we can all hang out tomorrow."

"Besides, this will give you and Fran the opportunity to spend some time alone together. And didn't you say, you wanted to take her on that sleigh ride to make up for being out skiing all day yesterday?"

Fran immediately forgot about Niles and CC after hearing what Maggie had said.

"Sleigh ride? Ooh that sounds so romantic. I'd love to go on a sleigh ride." Maxwell smiled at her and squeezed her hand.

"It's settled then. You and I will go on the sleigh ride and have a romantic day together, while the children will spend the day with the other children."

"In that case, I better go change." She stood up and gave Maxwell a kiss. "See you upstairs, Honey. Enjoy the day kids."

"You too, Fran."

"We're off too, Dad. We'll be back at the hotel at 5.30."

"That's fine. We'll make plans regarding dinner then. Enjoy yourselves."

"You too."

When the children had gone Niles and CC were left with Maxwell, who had gone back to reading the newspaper. They both glared at him.

"Everyone seems to have forgotten that there are two other people on this vacation." Maxwell looked up from his newspaper and looked at the stares he was getting.

"Oh sorry, Old Man. I completely forgot."

"Obviously, Maxwell."

"Well, I don't see what the big deal is. You two can spend the day together." They both gaped at him.

"You've got to be kidding, Sir."

"I actually agree with Bell Hop."

Niles shook his head.

"I think I'll just go skiing by myself."

"Me too."

"Nonsense." Maxwell put his newspaper down. "Since you're both going skiing, I think it's best if you go together."

"But, Sir, I thought this was supposed to be my vacation too? I don't recall being asked to come along as Ms. Babcock's babysitter."

"Maxwell, I assure you I'll be perfectly fine on my own."

"No, absolutely not. It's not safe to go skiing alone. You will go skiing together or not at all. Do I make myself clear?" They were both about to open their mouths to object. "And don't even try telling me that I'm not the boss of you, because we all know that I actually am." They closed their mouths again. CC looked at Niles.

"I want to go skiing, so don't even try and tell me, you don't want to." She gave him a glare and he knew she meant business. He rolled his eyes.

"Alright, CaCa. We'll go skiing."

* * *

Niles and CC had been out skiing the entire morning and only stopped to get lunch at a restaurant on the mountain. They had tried to be civil to each other and had managed from time to time, but had bantered and thrown insults at each other a lot too. It was now 4.30 and Niles felt it was time to go back down. Not only because it was getting dark, but also because the snow had started to come down more within the last thirty minutes.

"Ms. Babcock, I think we should head back down."

"What? Already?"

"It's 4.30. The children will be back in an hour, and we did agree to meet all the Sheffields at 6.30."

"That still gives us plenty of time to ski, Butler Boy."

"But it's getting dark, and it's started to snow a bit more now. We really should be heading back."

"Oh come on, Niles. How often do we get to go skiing? We could at least wait a few minutes." Niles sighed.

"Alright, but only just a few."

"Good. Now let's go this way."

"I don't think that's a good idea. It seems like it's not a suitable skiing route."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" He didn't budge. "Suite yourself, Niles. I'm going." Before he had a chance to object, she was gone.

"Ms. Babcock, wait." He went after her.

Thirty minutes later they had no idea where they were. What was even worse was that the falling snow had now turned into a blizzard, and it was much darker.

"Niles, I can't see a damn thing."

"I told you it was a bad idea to go down that route."

"Oh just can it. Instead of giving me a lecture, you should try to find a way for us to get the hell off of this mountain."

"It's not like it's my fault we're in this situation. So why don't _you_ find a way off of this mountain?"

"Fine, I will."

She took off her skies knowing she could move around more easily without them on. Niles did the same. He got his off quickly when he saw her walking away from him.

"Hang on, Babcock."

"No, I will not. You will just have to hurry up instead."

"We need to stick together in this weather."

"A few feet of space between us won't hur….aarghh."

What neither Niles nor CC had noticed due to the blizzard was that they were both walking close to the edge of the mountain. CC had then walked out onto a snow covered branch that broke the minute she stepped on it.

Seeing her fall Niles quickly threw his skies away and threw himself in her direction to catch her.

"CC!"

He caught her hand and if he hadn't been able to grab hold of the tree trunk of a small tree with his free arm, they would've both fallen to their deaths.

"NILES!"

Her panicked scream sent chills throughout his entire body. He steadied himself and tried to get a better hold of her and the tree trunk.

"I need you to stop moving. I need you to keep your body under control as much as possible. Can you do that?"

Even though it was quite dark and snowing heavily, they were still able to see each other quite clearly. They locked eyes and they saw the panic and the fear of dying in each other's eyes.

"I don't think I can."

"You have to. I need to get a better hold of the tree trunk, and I need to see if I can swing my leg over it." He gave her a reassuring smile. "I have faith in you." She nodded weakly.

"I'll try."

He waited a few seconds, and when he felt she was calm enough, he tried to swing his leg over the tree trunk. He managed but the tree trunk started to make sounds as if it would break. Niles quickly pulled his leg back.

"It's no use. I'll have to see if I can get a good hold with my feet on the rocks."

He tried a bit, but could feel CC's hand slipping in his.

"NILES!"

He stopped and once again her scream sent chills throughout his body. He locked eyes with her again, and it broke his heart to see her tearstained face. She was terrified.

"Just hold on." She shook her head.

"I can't. I can feel I'm slipping, and I won't be able to hold on much longer." She swallowed and looked him straight in the eyes. "You need to let go of me, Niles. If you don't, we'll both fall to our deaths."

He could feel his own eyes getting damp with tears, and swallowed hard to get his emotions under control. He shook his head.

"I swear by all that's good and holy, I'll _never_ leave you. If you go, I go. Understood?"

"But Nil…"

"No buts. I will not let you die just to save my own sorry ass. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if I did. Just hold on."

He tried to get a stronger hold of her hand, and succeeded a little. He then managed to get a steady hold on the rock with his feet.

"Niles, please hurry."

"I will." He looked for a place for her to place her feet. "Do you see that big rock there next to where my feet are?"

"Yes."

"See if you can't get a hold of that with your feet. If you do, you'll be able to hold on to the tree trunk as well."

"Niles, I'm scared."

"I know, but you have to try." She looked at him again and nodded.

"Okay."

"Good. Now give it a try." She did and was close to touching it. "That's it, just a little to the left and you've got it." She was able to do it, and quickly grabbed a hold of the tree trunk with her free arm. She smiled at him.

"I did it." He smiled at her proudly.

"You sure did. Now I have to see if I can't get a hold of something with my foot on the edge of the mountain." He saw the fear in her eyes. "Don't worry. I won't let go of you, I promise." She smiled.

"Okay." He gave her hand a squeeze before swinging his leg up.

He managed to get a hold of a rock, and when he felt he had a good enough hold he pulled himself up. He lay flat on his stomach but kept a hold of the tree trunk and CC.

"I'm up and secure, but I need you to work with me, alright?"

"Alright. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Okay. You'll have to take one foot off the rock you're on and place it a bit higher. You'll then push yourself off while I pull you up as well. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'm going to count to three and then on 'go' we'll do it. We have to give it our best shot, so that we won't have to do it again. The more we try, the harder it gets. Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready."

"Alright, here we go. One, two, three, go."

She pushed off the mountain while he pulled, and when her upper body was safe over the edge, he let go of the tree trunk and pulled her all the way up. He then quickly dragged them both a few feet away to safety. Once he was convinced they were out of harms way he threw his arms around her and hugged her for dear life. She hugged him back.

"We did it, Niles." He breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded against her cheek.

"I know. But good god, Woman, you scared me. A few days ago you could've died in a car accident, and now you could've died falling off a mountain. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." She pulled her head back to look at him questioningly.

"Niles?"

Realizing what he'd said, he decided to quickly change her focus.

"Are you hurt?" She looked at him confused for a few seconds before realizing what he'd asked. She shook her head slightly.

"Um no, I don't think so. Well, I am a bit sore on my arm and my right ankle. I did hit that side on the rock." He nodded.

"Then we better take a look at that. But first we should find shelter. We won't be able to get off this mountain in this weather, and I doubt anyone will be able to come and find us, once the Sheffields realize we're not back." He stood up. "Do you think you'll be able to walk?" She nodded.

"Yes, I think so." He pulled her up.

"Does your ankle hurt when you stand on it?" She shook her head.

"No." He nodded and then took off his backpack.

"I have a flashlight. That should help us see better." He got the flashlight out and put the backpack on again. Then he grabbed the ski poles and handed her one, while keeping the other one, in the same hand as the flashlight. He then took hold of her hand with his free one. "We need to stick together this time." She nodded not having any intention of letting go. "Let's go."

"What about your skies?"

"It's best to leave them. We won't be able to only use one pair of skies anyway, and there's no sense in carrying the extra weight." She nodded and they started walking.

After walking for a while, CC thought she spotted a small shed.

"Niles, point the flashlight over there to your left. I think I saw a shed." He did as she said and she was right.

They quickly made there way over there and were glad to see it wasn't locked. After quickly getting inside they closed the door and Niles flashed the light around the small shed.

"Well, there's not much here. But luckily enough there are no holes in the shed, and there's a bench, a table, a thin worn out mattress, and a small cupboard. The window seems pretty tight too. Wonder if there's anything in the cupboard."

Being nearest the cupboard, CC opened it and Niles flashed the light at the cupboard so she could get a better look.

"We're somewhat in luck. There are a couple of candles here, two candlesticks, and some matches."

"Not bad. Bring it over here on the table, and then sit down. I need to look at your ankle and arm."

"I don't think you need to. I had no trouble walking, and my arm feels fine."

"It's best to make sure." She nodded.

A few moments later, two candles were lit, and she had her leg stretched out on the bench waiting for Niles to take a look at it. She looked at him confusedly when he went to open his backpack.

"What are you doing?"

"I brought a small first aid kit."

"Really?" He shrugged.

"I like to be prepared." He got the kit out, and went to sit on the bench. "Let's take a look at that ankle, shall we?" When Niles touched her bare skin, CC shivered from the pleasure it caused throughout her body. "Am I hurting you?" She shook her head.

"No not at all." Seeing his need for an explanation, she covered up. "Your hands are just a bit cold that's all?"

"Oh, sorry about that." He took his hands away and warmed them up. "Is that better?" She nodded.

"Yes."

He put a bit of pressure on her ankle and moved it from side to side.

"Does it hurt when I do this?"

"No."

"Good. I think your ankle's fine then. Roll up your sleeve and let me look at your arm." She did as she was told and they could both see a small scrape. "It's not really that bad, but I'll just put some ointment on, if that's alright with you?"

"Of course."

He put the ointment on, but too soon for CC's liking, he was done.

"There. All taken care of."

"How did you learn to do that? Was it something you had to learn in order to become a butler?" There was no ridicule to his profession behind her words, he noticed. He shook his head.

"Well, truth be told, I haven't always been in that line of work." She looked generally surprised.

"Oh? What else did you do?" He shook his head.

"Nothing that would've been able to be long term. When I was a young lad, I worked at a summer camp for a few weeks a couple of years. I'd had extended training in first aid, and I mostly worked in the first aid clinic during those weeks. Mind you, I didn't deal with anything major. Just small cuts and bruises, when the children would fall and hurt themselves from climbing trees." She smiled at him.

"How come I'm only just finding out about this now?" He smiled back.

"There are many untold things you've yet to learn about me."

"Like what?" He smirked at her.

"I do believe I'm entitled to some privacy." She smirked back at him and he smiled at her more sincerely. "Are your clothes wet, Ms. Babcock? I know we didn't fall through water or too much snow, but it's important that we stay dry." She frowned at him.

"Why do you do that?" He looked at her confusedly.

"Do what?"

"Why do you call me Ms. Babcock?"

"Well that is your name if I'm not mistaken." She nodded getting a bit frustrated.

"I know, it's my name, but it's my last name. When I fell you yelled out my first name."

Not wanting her to think back at what he'd said once they'd gotten a few feet away from the edge, he came up with an excuse.

"It's part of my job as a butler to call you by your last name."

"You're not working now, and you don't work for me."

"No, but I work for Mr. Sheffield, and you're his business partner. It would be improper of me to call you by your first name. I've always called Mrs. Sheffield by her last name even before she married Mr. Sheffield. I could've easily called her by her first name before her marriage, but I didn't because it's not what butlers do." She rolled her eyes and shook her head frustrated.

"That's bullshit, Niles." He was about to protest but she didn't let him get a chance to. "If you wanted to conduct yourself in a proper manner, you would never call me names. You'd always refer to me as Ms. Babcock. And furthermore, you call Sylvia, Yetta, and Val by their first names too. Shouldn't you then also call them by their last names?" He tried weakly at defending himself.

"Sylvia, Yetta, and Val, are not part of the household."

"Neither am I."

"But as I said, you're still Mr. Sheffield's business partner, and that's where the difference is. And that's that."

"Fine, have it your way. But then how about calling me names? What's your answer to that?"

"You started it."

"But in your own words, butlers call people working in the home by their last name. So doesn't that mean that even if I started calling you a name, you should've still called me by my last name?"

He wanted to come up with a clever response, but had none. Instead he just shook his head a little frustrated.

"Can we just please drop it? We're going to be stuck here all night, and I don't really feel like fighting." She crossed her arms annoyed with him.

"Fine." She turned her back slightly from his.

"Fine." He did the same.

Nearly three hours later CC felt her stomach growling. She felt reluctant to talk to Niles, but she really wanted to know if he had anything eatable in his backpack. To her it seemed like it was completely packed.

"Niles?"

"What?" She noticed, he didn't really seem in the mood to be friendly. However, she asked him politely.

"I was just curious as to whether you had something eatable in your backpack. I'm a bit hungry." His mood softened.

"Yes, I do actually."

"You do?" He nodded and got the backpack.

"I know how much of a workout skiing can be, so I bought some sandwiches before we left. I figured we might need it to keep our energy up. I also bought some fruit, chocolate bars, and cookies."

"Wow, you really thought of everything." He shrugged.

"Like I said earlier, I like to be prepared." He got the food out. "There are two sandwiches for each, so I think it'll be alright to eat both now. I know it snowed rather badly before we found the shed, but I've noticed it's let up a bit. I think we should be able to make it out of here tomorrow."

"So do I."

"We can save some of the fruit, cookies, and chocolate bars for tomorrow morning, and then still have some now. I bought plenty of bananas, so they should help settle our hunger tomorrow morning." Her eyes shot up in her forehead when she saw the amount of food, he'd carried on his back the entire day.

"Niles, that's a lot of food. Wasn't that heavy to ski with?" He shook his head.

"No not really. It might look like a lot, but it's not that heavy. I only bought two bottles of water, so we should save some for tomorrow." She nodded and he handed her the sandwiches. She smiled at him.

"Thank you." He finally smiled at her again.

"You're welcome."

They ate somewhat in silence, and that made CC think of what he'd said once he'd brought them to safety on the edge of the mountain. When they were done eating and had put the fruit, chocolate bars, and cookies away that they hadn't eaten, she decided to ask him about it.

"So, Niles." He looked at her not quite sure what to make of the tone in her voice. "When you pulled us to safety and we hugged, what did you mean when you said, you didn't know what you'd do if you lost me?"

This was what he'd feared she'd ask him. He briefly looked away, but then looked back at her and shrugged.

"Just that if you died, I'd have no one to insult and banter with. My life would be rather boring." She eyed him for a few seconds, and then knew she didn't buy that answer for a second.

"I don't believe that's what you meant, Niles. Now how about you tell me the truth?"

"That is the truth."

"No, it's not. You're lying, I can tell."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are. You also said you'd never let me go, and you clearly stressed the 'never' part. You said that if I went, so did you. What did you mean by all that?" He looked away from her.

"Nothing."

"Cut the crap, Niles, and just answer me honestly. We could've died today, so don't you think we can at least be honest with each other? Especially when it's something you said, when we were about to die?"

"No, I really don't see the need to do that, when I've already told you the truth."

"I know you haven't told me the truth. I can tell that you're lying to me. Just tell me the truth, Niles. I think I'm entitled to know the truth behind your words. No, I _know_ I'm entitled to know."

He slammed his hand down on the table finally having had enough. He stood up and started to pace around the small shed. She was a bit startled by his action but said nothing.

He stopped pacing and looked her straight in the eyes, and was clearly admitting defeat.

"Are you sure you really want to know why, I said what I said?"

Even though she was a bit unsure now, she was still determined to know. She nodded.

"Yes."

"I'm just a butler to you."

She was totally confused by what he'd said.

"What?" She closed her eyes trying to make sense of his words, but found none. She shook her head and looked at him again. "Niles, that makes no sense."

"In all the years we've known each other, you've ridiculed my job."

"We ridicule each other. It's what we do, and it works both ways."

"I know, but you're the one, who started it."

"When did I do that?"

"Back when you first started working for Mr. Sheffield. It was when he told you that he and I had known each other since we were children. To make sure you'd heard correctly, you asked him if he was friends with the help. He told you he was, and you told him that you could never be friends with the help."

She thought back but couldn't honestly remember if he'd been in the room at that time. In honesty, she didn't remember that conversation with Maxwell. It was so long ago.

"I don't remember saying that. Were you in the room?" He shook his head.

"No. I was out in the hallway cleaning. The door to the office was slightly open." She gave it some more thought and the memory came back to her.

"I remember now." She looked at him. "I didn't mean it the way you make it sound." He scoffed.

"No?" She started to get a bit angry.

"No. None of the staff's children, we'd had at my house growing up, had been my friends, and I didn't become friends with them when I got older nor did they end up working for me. I was talking about them when I said I couldn't become friends with the help. I didn't mean that I couldn't become friends with staff in general. You and Maxwell had known each other your whole lives, so of course you'd still be friends even though you worked for him." He was getting angry too.

"That still doesn't explain why you've treated me the way that you have, in all the years we've known each other."

"Like I said, the way we've treated each other has worked both ways. And I was never serious when I ridiculed your profession, just as I'm sure not everything you've ever said to me, was the truth."

"Well, you could've fooled me."

"Likewise." She shook her head frustrated. "It still doesn't completely explain things. What do you think I should've seen you as?"

"Never mind."

"Oh no, Mister. You started telling me the truth, so you better damn well finish." He shook his head frustrated too.

"Fine, I'll keep going. I wanted you to see me as everything other than a butler."

"You need to do better than that, because I'm still confused. You wanted me to see you as a brother, a friend? What?"

"Definitely not as a brother." The thought made him shiver. "But yes a friend would've been a nice start."

"A start?"

He sighed finally allowing himself to be completely honest with her and opening up his heart.

"You've been yearning for Mr. Sheffield for years, even though he hasn't even been close to reciprocating your feelings. And you're still doing it now although he's married again and will be a father again in a few months."

"Niles, I.." He put up his hand to stop her.

"Don't say anything. I'm only going to be able to say all of this once, so I'd appreciate if you'll just let me say what I have to say. You're the one who wanted to hear it." She nodded.

"Okay."

"Because, you've been yearning for Mr. Sheffield, you haven't taken the time to look for, what could've been an everlasting relationship. Yes, you've been on dates, but no one has been close to giving you what you really need. You need someone, who won't back down and who'll give back as good as you give. Someone who knows you inside and out, and who'll worship the very ground you walk on. Someone who'll be proud of your accomplishments, and someone who'll tell you that you'll bounce back, when one of your plays has done less than okay. You need someone, who'll love you for who you are, and not for the person, who you think you need to be. Someone, who'll love you for your flaws as well as your qualities. You need someone who thinks you're perfect, just the way you are. I always hoped that that someone would be me, but I've started to give up on that dream."

She stared wide eyed at him.

"Wh..what?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment to get his emotions under control. However, he failed. When he opened his eyes again they were damp and he revealed his feelings completely.

"I love you. I'v…."

"Wait what? You love me?"

"Yes. I've loved you for years. Ever since you showed up at the mansion. But you never seemed me to give me the time of day. At least not in anyway that resembled romantic feelings. I can't really blame you, because as you said the insults worked both ways. But still. You only had eyes for men, who were rich and famous, and you had especially eyes for Mr. Sheffield some time after the first Mrs. Sheffield passed away. I just wished you would've looked at me that way. I would've done everything I could to make you happy, and to be worthy of you. But I've never been worthy in your eyes." She remained silent, and after a few moments the silence got to him. He shook his head and turned around towards the door. "I need some fresh air." When he put his hand on the doorknob, he realized he couldn't go anywhere because of the blizzard. He leaned his head on the door. "Damn it."

"You're wrong, Niles." Her voice startled him, but what startled him more was the emotion in her voice. When he looked at her he saw that her eyes were damp too. "For one thing, I've never loved Maxwell." He stared at her.

"What?"

"I know it must be hard to believe but it's true. You must understand that during my entire childhood and youth, I was brought up to believe that I should be with someone from my own social class. Even though I grew up and was able to think for myself that ridiculous way of thinking stuck with me."

"That doesn't explain, why you claim to have never loved Mr. Sheffield."

"I'm not getting any younger. After Sara died, I thought Maxwell was the only chance of me getting a husband. My parents were not much of an influence in my life, and so I've never really known what it was like to be truly loved or how to love. That's why I've never been good at relationships. Maxwell and I already knew each other, so I thought we'd have a head start on a relationship. We could just skip all that getting to know each other stuff, and practically go straight to marriage. But then Fran showed up."

"Fran? That's a first." CC nodded and smiled a little.

"I know. Anyway. When she showed up and Maxwell started to take an interest and the children liked her, I became even more obsessed with trying to get him to see that we'd be perfect together. I thought he needed someone like Sara, or at least someone with the same social background as Sara and himself. But the truth is, Fran is much more like Sara than I could ever be."

"How so?"

"She's kind and caring, and I'm not. But the more I realized that, the more I was afraid that my chance of an everlasting relationship and marriage would slip away. That only made me more obsessed, and I finally cracked when I lost my sanity and had to go to The Place. And all because of my stupid upbringing."

"But even after Mr. Sheffield married Mrs. Sheffield, you've still acted like you wanted him." She nodded.

"I know. I've only recently come to my senses."

"So you never really honestly loved Mr. Sheffield?"

"No, I didn't. He looked good on paper, and we would've had some things in common, but Fran is much better suited for him. She's what he needed after Sara died. The children needed her too. The truth is that Maxwell is not even my type. He's much too nice and actually really boring." Niles smiled a little, but it quickly went away again.

"So what exactly is your type?" She smiled.

"My type is someone, who'll give me back as good as I give. Someone, who'll support me in good times and in bad times. Someone who knows me inside and out, and someone who'll love me for who I am." Niles swallowed.

"Really?"

"Yes. And you were wrong about something else too."

"What was that?"

"About you not being worthy of me. You see, I'm the one who's not worthy of you." He gaped at her.

"How can you say that?"

"How can I not? You know I'm not loving and caring, but you are. I've seen you with the Sheffield children. You love them as if they were your own, and that's even when they treat you like they own you and can do whatever they want with you. It's also the way you do your job. You might not like it some of the time, but you still take great pride in it. And you'll gladly do whatever you can to make other people happy before you'd even consider your own happiness. How can I be worthy of that, when I'm a selfish bitch most of the time if not all of time?" He swallowed again not completely sure he knew what she was getting at.

"You want to be worthy of me?" She nodded.

"More than anything. I might not have known for most of my life how to love or what it was like to be loved, but watching you love so easily, has helped me. And when I was in the car accident, I realized I might die before I even got to hold you and touch you and te…."

"Touch me?" She chuckled softly at his wide eyed expression.

"Yes, touch you, Niles. Believe me, I've dreamt of doing that for years." He swallowed again.

"You have?"

"Yes. The truth is, I've had feelings for you for years too. But my stupid pride due to my background has just prevented me from truly realizing it or voicing it out loud. Until now." A tear finally made its way down her cheek and she smiled lovingly at him. "I love you too, Niles."

He blinked a few times to see if he'd heard her correctly. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to get his breathing under control and then opened them again.

"Could you repeat that please?" She laughed softly and walked over to him and placed her arms around his neck and looked directly into his eyes.

"Niles, I love you."

He saw in her eyes that she really did and he smiled widely at her and placed his arms around her waist.

"I love you too."

Their lips met in a loving and passionate kiss. Seconds later they needed air.

"Mmm that was nice."

"I thought so too." He wiped her tear away. "You might not think that you're worthy of me, but you are. I've never wanted another woman but you, and if I could never have you, I'd rather have none at all." She started crying a bit more now, and he kept wiping the tears away. "You're right when you said that I probably never meant all the things I said to you. I didn't. You've never been ugly, old, fat, or any other negative thing I've said. On the contrary you're witty, you're sophisticated, you're beautiful, and you're sexy." By hearing that she realized something.

"You were not drunk when you told me that at the wedding." He shook his head.

"No, I wasn't. And I meant in then like I mean it now. You're the most beautiful and sexy woman I've ever seen." She blushed and smiled. "Everything about you is beautiful and sexy. Your mouth. It tastes like sunshine." He kissed her on the lips. "Your brow. When it shows you're frustrated, I can't help but want to kiss it." He kissed her brow. "Your cheeks. When they get flushed, you look ten times younger." He kissed both her cheeks, and gave her his lopsided grin. "Not to say that you look old." She grinned back. "Your eyes. Even when we fight I can't help but get lost in them." He kissed her eyes. "Your laugh. I love the way it wrinkles your nose." She slapped him playfully on the arm and chuckled.

"Now you're just stealing lyrics from a song." He chuckled too and started dancing with her and then started to sing to her.

"Some day, when I'm awfully low,  
when the world is cold,  
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...  
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm,  
and your cheeks so soft,  
there is nothing for me but to love you,  
and the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,  
tearing my fear apart...  
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,  
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.  
Keep that breathless charm.  
Won't you please arrange it?  
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.

Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,  
Just the way you look tonight."

She sighed contently.

"I could do this all night and not get tired."

"Me too." They smiled at each other and kissed again. She then laughed throatily.

"I could do that all night too and not get tired." He laughed and then growled in her ear.

"Me too, and Woman, you have no idea what that laugh does to me."

"Your growl does the same to me." They laughed more softly now. She then caressed his cheek. "You're very sexy and handsome, Niles. I've always thought so." He looked away embarrassed, but she brought his eyes back to hers. "I'm serious. You are. You have the most beautiful eyes and the loveliest boyish grin. Not to mention a great body, and a nice ass." She grabbed his ass and gave it a good squeeze. He gaped at her at first but couldn't help laughing. Then he pulled her tighter to him.

"You have an amazing body too. I love every curve, and I can't wait until I get to touch it in all its glory." He looked at her embarrassed. "Uh, um, I didn't mean it like that. It's not like I assumed we'd just jumped right into bed with each other. Oh please don't tell me, I've ruined everything?" She couldn't help but grin at him.

"Of course, you haven't ruined anything. We just admitted we love each other, so nothing you say could ruin that. I want us to move to that stage of our relationship too, and I think we've waited long enough."

"Relationship? You'd really want to acknowledge we're in a relationship?" She got worried that he wouldn't want that.

"Yes, of course. I thought that went with us admitting our feelings. But if you don't want a relationship, or don't want to acknowledge it, then I gu…." He kissed her before she could go any further.

"I would love nothing more than to shout it from the rooftops that we're together and are in a relationship. I just didn't know how we should handle this once we got back to everyone and back home."

"I have no intention of hiding anything from anyone. I don't care what people think or say. I love you and I want to be with you, and that's that. If anyone has a problem with that, then to hell with them." He smiled at her.

"I feel the same way."

"I'm glad." They kissed again. "Now as I said, I want to move to the physical part of our relationship too, and I can't wait. But I suppose we have to wait until we get home, or until we're back at the hotel." He nodded. "Though there is a mattress here, and we do need to keep warm during the night."

"Don't tempt me, Woman." He kissed her again. "I do want you desperately, but I also think we should wait until we get back to an actual bed. But that doesn't mean we can't make out. Like you said, we have to keep warm." They both grinned.

"Then how about we lie down now? I was a bit cold before our talk, and although I'm a lot warmer now, I think it would be best to lie down snuggled together. We can make out and talk at the same time."

"I'd like that very much." She went to lie down on the mattress, but he went to get his backpack.

"Niles, what are you doing?"

"I told you I like to be prepared."

"Yeah so?"

"I brought a blanket and two sweaters. I thought that if we at any time, were to sit down and eat the sandwiches or snacks, we could place the blanket on a rock if we found one to sit on. I brought the sweaters in case we got cold." She smiled at his consideration.

"You even thought about brining a sweater for me?" He nodded smiling.

"Yes. I didn't want you to freeze." He then smirked. "Or hear you complain about being cold if I hadn't brought an extra sweater." She laughed and so did he.

He brought the sweaters and blanket over and handed her one of the sweaters. They quickly took their jackets off and put the sweater on, and then put their jackets back on. CC then got under the blanket while Niles brought the candles closer to them, so that they could help them keep a little warm. When he was under the blanket they wrapped their arms around each other and snuggled as close together as they could.

CC smiled contently and then kissed Niles.

"Even though it's cold, I've never been this comfortable before."

"Me either." They started kissing again and Niles let down all his defenses. "Jane."

CC pushed slightly at his chest, so that they were no longer kissing. She gave him a glare.

"What? My name is CC." He laughed at her and she looked at him confusedly.

"You told me yesterday that the reason you gave your last name to the maitre d is because, I claimed to have none. Well, everyone has a last name, and I just told you mine. So now I think you can guess why I've never told you my last name before, or why most people don't know it." She gaped at him, and he closed his eyes waiting for an insult. "Go ahead and ridicule it. I've been used to it throughout my childhood."

"Chastity Claire." He opened his eyes and this time he looked confusedly at her.

"What?"

"That's what CC stands for. I've never liked my name, which is why I use my initials. Well that, and because that's what the women in my family do, when their first and middle name start with the same letter. I don't mind my middle name, but I was teased because of my first name from the kids at school as a child. I'm not going to make fun of your name, because I know what it's like to have your name made fun of." He smiled at her.

"I always wondered what your initials stood for. I guess, I don't completely know you inside and out."

"There's plenty of time for us to get to know each other completely." He nodded.

"You know, your name is not that bad." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh please. It most certainly is."

"My last name is a girl's name. Believe me that's worse." She smiled at him.

"Okay, I can see that it might be. But I don't think your last name is that bad." He rolled his eyes.

"You're just saying that because you know you're getting lucky in the near future." She laughed out loud and then slapped him playfully on the arm.

"No, I'm not. So while we're on the subject, what's your middle name? I assume you have one of those?"

"Yes, I have one of those too. It's French after my mother's side of the family. I don't know if you know, but she's half French."

"I know that." He smiled at her glad that she'd paid attention over the years. "So, what's your middle name?" He groaned.

"Jean-Marie." She looked at him confusedly.

"What's wrong with that? It's a perfectly normal French name."

"Yes, in French it is, and I'm sure I'd have had no problem with it, if I'd grown up in France. But seeing as I grew up in England people didn't take notice of the French pronunciation. So in English those two names…" He left the rest unsaid and she knew what he meant.

"They're girl names too."

"Exactly."

"I guess you really didn't have it easy as a child."

"Not exactly. That's also why I went through a bit of a rough period and gained a lot of weight." She caressed his back in support.

"So why didn't your parents just give you another normal French name that wouldn't lead people to make fun of it?"

"Because, it was my grandfather's name." She nodded her understanding. "I've never really been embarrassed by that name as long as it's been pronounced correctly, but that's not to say that I've really ever used it much."

"I'll make sure not to tell anyone about your names." He kissed her and smiled.

"Thank you. I'll make sure not to tell people about your first name either." She kissed him and smiled.

"Thank you." A thought entered her mind. "Speaking of names. I know that all the names we've called each other over the years haven't been hurtful, and I kind of like the name calling part of our relationship. Do we have to change that?" He shook his head.

"I don't see why we should. I've always thought of the names as a kind of endearment anyway. And I must admit I'm quite fond of 'Butler Boy', 'Bell Boy', and some of the others."

"I must admit I like some of the names you call me too. Why don't we agree to keep calling each other names and if there's one we don't like, we'll let the other know?"

"Deal."

"What about the insults, the banter, and the zingers we throw at each other? Can we keep doing that too?" He smirked at her.

"Absolutely. It's what makes us unique. We wouldn't be who we are without all that or the name calling."

"Good. Oh and by the way, you better also start calling me CC. And not just when we're in private. I also want you to call me that when I'm working at the mansion." He smiled lovingly at her.

"It will be my great pleasure, CC." She smiled widely at him at hearing her first name on his lips, but then smiled wickedly at him.

"You can also still sometimes call you Ms. Babcock. It's quite a turn on actually." He smirked at her.

"I'll remember that." They kissed again. "Do you have any plans for Christmas?"

"No. I was hoping that Maxwell would ask me over like he usually does. Please don't tell me that you have other plans? I'd like to spend Christmas with my boyfriend." Niles couldn't help the grin on his face at hearing CC call him her boyfriend. He shook his head.

"No, I don't have other plans. I'd like to spend Christmas with my girlfriend too. But I just wanted you to know that I'll probably be working for most of the Holiday. At least I know I'll be cooking Christmas dinner." She shrugged.

"That's okay. I can stay at the mansion when you work if I don't have any work myself, and then when you're off, we can either hang out at the mansion or go back to my place. We can talk about where we're going to sleep." He stared a little wide eyed at her.

"You'd really want to stay at the mansion? I mean in my room?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, it's just that it's only one room."

"But it's where you live. And I've already grown accustomed to lying next to you, so I'm never sleeping without you again." He laughed.

"You say that as if you own me." She smirked at him.

"I do own you."

"Doesn't that only happen after a proposal?" He continued to laugh but stopped when he saw the serious expression in her eyes.

"Would that be so bad?"

"Would what be so bad?"

"Marriage." He gaped at her and she quickly closed her eyes and shook her head. "Oh god, now I'm the one that's really ruined everything. Just please forget what I said."

When she felt his hand caress her cheek, she opened her eyes again and saw him smiling lovingly at her.

"No, it would definitely not be a bad thing. Not at all. I was just surprised you mentioned it. I know you said that you thought Mr. Sheffield would probably be your only chance of ever getting married. But throughout the years I never really got the impression that you've ever been completely serious about marriage."

"I don't think I have ever really been serious about it." She sighed. "It's not that I'm desperate to get married. But I honestly always thought it would be nice to have someone to come home to, and have someone to love and have someone to love me back. Though, it's not like I'm really wife material."

"What do you mean?"

"You know I'm not loving and caring."

"CC, that's not true. Don't ever believe that."

"How can I not believe that? I walk all over people to reach my own goals, and don't show any consideration towards others."

"That's simply not true. You're a tough business woman, because you have to be. Mr. Sheffield would never have been able to run the business for so long, if it hadn't been for you. And you do show consideration towards others. I know how much time you spent in the hospital when I had my heart attack. And you rode in the ambulance with me holding my hand the entire time. Until today I've never seen you more scared than you were when you realized, I was having a heart attack at the mansion. So don't tell me you're not loving and caring, because you are." He took a calming breath. "And you are wife material. I told you I never wanted anyone but you, and it's the truth. I've only ever pictured you as my wife." Her eyes widened in surprise. "That's not to say that I'm lying here proposing. We've only just gotten together, so I think it's a bit early for that. All in good time."

He gave her a loving smile hoping she'd understand. When she returned the smile, he knew that she did.

"I'm not in a hurry."

They kissed again and continued with that for a few minutes.

"I think we should get some sleep."

"Yeah, I'm actually a bit tired."

"Are you cold? You never did answer me if your clothes were wet." She shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. And my clothes were not wet when you asked. How are you?"

"I'm just perfect." They smiled. "Goodnight CC. I love you."

"Goodnight Niles. I love you too."

They kissed for another few minutes before trying to get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning CC woke up to find Niles looking at her. He leaned in and kissed her.

"Good morning."

"Good morning to you too. What time is it?" He looked at his watch.

"Nearly 9.00. The sun is shining, so I think we'd definitely be able to get out of here." She nodded.

"Let's just hope that the door isn't blocked by snow."

"If it is, we'll break the window and climb out that way." She giggled.

"So manly." He pulled her tightly against his chest.

"Yes, when I need to be." He waggled his eyebrows and she giggled again. He then kissed her passionately and then stood up extending his hand to her. "Let's eat and then get out of here."

* * *

After eating they collected their things and left the shed. They were happy to see that the door hadn't been blocked by snow.

A couple of hours later they CC spotted one of the cableways' stations.

"Niles, look." He looked in the direction she pointed in. "I think there are people over there."

"I think you're right. It's one of the cableways' stations with a café. We might be able to get some food, or at least get down quickly."

When they were nearly all the way there, one of the people by the cableway station noticed them. He turned around to one of the others, who were also there.

"Hey Jack, there are some people headed this way."

"Really?"

"Yeah, look."

"I see them, Peter." Jack and Peter walked down to meet Niles and CC.

"Hi, I'm Peter and this is Jack." Niles and CC greeted them happy to finally have found someone, who could help them off the mountain.

"You have no idea how thrilled we are to see you."

"Did you get caught in the blizzard yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Then are you by any chance CC Babcock and Niles?"

"Yes that's us."

"Boy, are we glad to see that you're alive."

"Everyone feared that you'd died. Your family, or that's what the Sheffields referred to themselves as, has been worried sick about you. People have been out searching since they were able to. However, that wasn't until this morning." Niles nodded.

"Yes, we realized that they probably couldn't make it sooner. Are we able to get down the mountain?"

"It'll still be a little while. We need to make sure the cableway is secure enough to use. Jack and I got stranded up here yesterday, and we only heard a few minutes ago that the roads are slowly usable again."

"But with as much snow as we got yesterday, it'll still take a little time."

"That's understandable."

"But we have food. Come on. Let's get you inside and get you something to eat. We need to call off the search party as well."

All four walked inside and Niles and CC were left to themselves while Jack and Peter got them something to eat and drink. Ten minutes later they returned with sandwiches and water for everyone.

"I just talked to the police chief in charge of the search. He was thrilled that you were alive and well. They'll get in touch with your family."

"Thank you. We appreciate that."

"Eat up. There's more where it came from."

"Thank you."

"You don't look too bad considering you've been out in the snow. Did you manage to find shelter?" Niles swallowed the mouthful of sandwich before answering.

"We did actually. We found a small shed with a mattress albeit a thin worn out one. But the shed was not damage, so we were able to keep the cold out. We also found some candles and matches, and I had brought two extra sweaters and a blanket."

"He'd also brought food and water, so we haven't been lacking that." Jack and Peter smiled at Niles.

"Impressive. We wish more people would do that, although it might be a bit much to carry when skiing." Peter nodded agreeing with Jack.

"Yeah, unfortunately we've seen some casualties over the years. We're glad that we can't count you among them."

"So are we."

"Did anyone else get caught in the blizzard? I mean, have you heard of anyone getting killed?"

"No, fortunately. Some people, like Jack and I, got stuck in the places where they were at. But they all had heat and food. You're the only ones that got stuck out in the snow."

"That's good."

* * *

An hour later Niles and CC were on their way down. The cableway would take them to the next station and from there the police chief would pick them up. The minute they walked off the cableway the chief greeted them.

"CC Babcock, I presume, and Mr…" Niles shook his hand and smiled.

"Just Niles is fine."

"Very well then. Niles." CC shook his hand as well. "I'm Chief Brown, and I'm here to get you safely off the mountain. I talked to Jack, and he said you were both fine. He said you'd had plenty of food and water to last you yesterday and today, and that you'd slept in a shed."

"Yes that's correct. We also had an extra sweater each, and we were covered by a blanket and snuggled closely together to keep warm."

"That's good to hear. Do you have any injuries?"

"No, not at all. I did hit my ankle and right arm, but Niles checked me out and I'm fine. My ankle doesn't hurt at all, and I only had a small scrape on my arm. He put some ointment on that." The chief looked at Niles questioningly.

"I had a first aid kit in my backpack." The chief smiled and padded Niles on the shoulder.

"It was good that you were prepared. But still, even though you both feel fine, I think it would be best to have you both checked out at the hospital in town. There are already two doctors waiting to give you an examination, so if they agree with you that you're fine, you'll be out of there in no time."

"Of course."

"Good. I wouldn't have taken no for an answer anyway." They all laughed. "Your family has been worried sick about you. They didn't get much sleep during the night, but now that they know you're alright, they said they'd rest until you came back. Should I call them to let them know, they can meet you at the hospital? Or do you just want me to drop you off at the hotel you're staying at after you've been checked out?"

Niles and CC looked at each other and knew what would be best without talking about it.

"We think it would be best if you didn't tell them, and then just dropped us off at the hotel. Our friends are expecting, and we know how much the mother-to-be needs her rest." The chief nodded.

During the ride down the mountain Niles and CC were surprised to see all the snow that had fallen.

"I seem to remember that there used to be a house under all that snow." The chief nodded.

"Yes, you're right. The mountain got the most snow, whereas the town got off easy. Luckily that house was abandoned."

"That's good."

CC rested her head on Niles' shoulder and snuggled closer to him. Niles rested his head against CC's as they continued to talk with the chief.

* * *

Just as Niles and CC thought, they were fine and were quickly given the okay to leave from the doctors.

They'd asked the hospital to call the hotel, so that the hotel could let the Sheffields know that they were on their way back. The hotel had said that they'd bring something to eat and drink into one of the private living rooms, so that they could have some privacy.

When Niles and CC arrived at the hotel they thanked the chief and waved goodbye as he drove off. Niles turned to CC and smiled.

"Are you ready to tell everyone?" She took his hand in hers and intertwined their fingers.

"Absolutely Butler Boy." They shared a laugh and walked in.

The clerk at the front desk directed them to where the Sheffields were sitting. As soon as they'd stepped into the private living room, Fran got up from her seat and practically ran towards them.

"You're back." She threw her arms around both of them and hugged them tightly. "Oh my god, we thought you'd died. We were worried sick. We couldn't sleep and we couldn't eat." They raised their eyebrows at her when they all looked at each other again. Fran shook her head. "Well, of course I could eat a little. I mean I have to. I am eating for two." They smiled at her, but didn't get the chance to say anything. "How are you? Are you hungry? Are you tired? We know you've just been checked out, but are you really alright? Do you need to sit down?" Maxwell put his arm around Fran and gently pulled her a bit away.

"Darling, I think what they need is a bit of room to breathe. And the rest of us would like to welcome them back as well."

"Oh of course, Honey. Go ahead."

Maxwell and Niles shared one of their rare, quick hugs, and then Maxwell hugged CC. The children hugged Niles welcoming him back and even willingly hugged CC, and welcomed her back. She hugged them back just as willingly.

"It's good to have you both back. We were all so worried."

"Thank you, Sir. It's good to be back."

"Yes, thank you, Maxwell and Fran. You too Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie." They all gaped at her and CC looked at them confusedly. "What?"

"Ms. Babcock, you just called me by my first name."

"Yeah, so? That is your name. Besides, weren't you the one, who called us friends back home?" She smirked at Fran, and Fran smirked back after a few seconds.

"Yes, but it's just unusual. Not to mention you remembered the children's names correctly." CC shrugged and smiled.

"I guess, I just finally came to my senses. And I'd love it if you'd call me CC." She looked at the children. "That goes for you too." They nodded, and Fran shook her head still amazed.

"Yeah, I'd say you came to your senses. Are you sure all that fresh mountain air didn't go to your head?" CC chuckled.

"I'm sure, Fran."

"Well, okay if you say so." Fran shook her head again. "I just still can't get over you calling me by my first name. Or that you ca…" She stopped talking and then eyed Niles and CC. Everyone looked curiously at her when she gaped. "I might be imagining things due to lack of sleep, but didn't you two hold hands when you walked in here?" Niles and CC grinned and then nodded.

"Yes, we did." Now everyone else gaped too with the exception of Niles and CC. Fran pointed her finger at them.

"You two better start explaining right now." Niles nodded.

"We will, but why don't we sit down first?" Fran nodded.

"Good idea. I could actually eat."

After they all had some coffee, tea, and cake Maxwell put his teacup down and started talking since Fran wasn't done eating yet.

"I think we're ready for an explanation now. Tell us all about yesterday."

Niles and CC looked at each other and CC nodded indicating that she'd start off.

"Things were fine for most of the day. Sure we argued and bantered, but both enjoyed skiing. At 4.30 Niles wanted us to turn around, but I wanted to continue to ski. He agreed that we could keep going for a few more minutes. However, I decided to use an unknown route, and didn't want to listen to Niles' warning that it might not be a good idea. And off I went."

"I naturally followed. Thirty minutes later we had no idea where we were, and we were by then caught in the blizzard. We took off our skies to get around better, and started to make our way down the mountain. And we did find a quick route."

Niles and CC locked eyes. Their hands found each other and they gave them a squeeze.

Everyone expected them to continue but when Niles and CC hadn't said anything for a few moments, Maggie pushed a little.

"What quick route did you find?" They both looked back at Maggie.

"We couldn't see a thing, so what neither Niles nor I had noticed was that we were walking close to the edge of the mountain." Everyone gaped a little at having a feeling of where CC was going with this. "Without knowing I walked out onto a snow covered branch on the edge that broke the minute I stepped on it, and I fell down." They all gasped loudly.

"Oh my god." CC nodded.

"Yeah, you can say that. Niles then threw himself in my direction, and if he hadn't been able to catch my hand and at the same time hold onto a tree trunk with his free arm, we would've both fallen to our deaths." They all gasped loudly again.

"Bloody hell." Niles nodded.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Sir." Fran shook her head getting over the shock.

"But you were able to get up right away, right?"

"Not exactly, Fran. I nearly slipped out of Niles' hand, and even told him to let go of me." Fran grabbed CC's free hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Oh Ms. Bab…I mean, CC." CC smiled at Fran glad to know that she genuinely cared. CC squeezed back which made Fran smile.

"It's okay, Fran. Niles refused to let go of me, and said he'd go with me if he let go." Everyone sent Niles a warm smile, but he kept his eyes on CC. "Luckily, he was able to hold on and then get himself up, before he helped me up and got us both to safety." Niles looked back at everyone.

"After that we started to look for shelter, and CC noticed a shed. It wasn't locked and luckily it wasn't damaged either. There were some candles in a cupboard and even matches."

"Being as well prepared as always, Niles had brought some sandwiches, fruit, chocolate bars, cookies, water, two extra sweaters, and a blanket. We were able to stay warm and dry and get plenty to eat and drink. Then this morning we were able to make our way out of the snow, and get to the cableway station. You know the rest." Maxwell nodded.

"That's quite a story. I can't believe we almost lost you. I'm so thrilled that you both made it out alive." He looked at Fran surprised she hadn't commented. "Isn't that wonderful, Darling?" She looked at him and shook her head.

"It would be more wonderful if they'd tell us the whole story." She looked at Niles and CC again and raised an eyebrow at them. CC gave her an innocent smile.

"What are you talking about, Fran?"

"You know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the handholding between you and Niles, and the fact that he's calling you by your first name."

"Oh that?"

"Yeah that. Now spill." CC shrugged but couldn't keep the grin off her face.

"Not much to tell really. Niles admitted that he was in love with me, and I admitted I was in love with him. We're a couple now."

"WHAT?"

Niles and CC laughed at the same reaction the Sheffields had had at the same time.

Maxwell was the first to recover. He looked at Niles.

"Is this true, Old Man?" Niles nodded.

"It most certainly is. I've been in love with CC for years, and I finally admitted that I love her. I was only thrilled when she told me she loved me too."

"And I really do." They looked at each other and kissed. "The truth is, I've really loved Niles for years, but I've only just truly realized it and admitted it to myself." Gracie smirked at CC.

"I was right. You really did miss Niles when we were on our way to Boston." CC smirked back.

"Yes, I did, Gracie. You're much too smart, so I guess there was really no point in denying it." Maxwell shook his head still not believing what he'd heard.

"So if the two of you have actually loved each other for years, what's with all the name calling?" CC smirked at him.

"Foreplay." Fran chuckled while Maxwell sent CC a warning glare.

"CC, please. There are children in the room." He nodded towards Gracie, who rolled her eyes at him.

"I know what foreplay is." Everyone snickered while Maxwell gaped and then sent her a glare.

"You better bloody well not know what that is." Gracie nodded and thought it was best to give Maxwell the impression that she was still just a little girl.

"You're right, Daddy. I have no idea what it is."

"Good."

Fran patted his arm to calm him down, and then hugged CC and then Niles.

"This is really unexpected, but I'm so happy for you two."

"Thank you."

"Brighton, Gracie, and I are happy for you too."

"Yes, we really are."

"And of course, I'm happy for you too."

"Thank you all. That means a lot."

"Fran and I found a great restaurant yesterday when we went on the sleigh ride. We had planned on going there yesterday, but of course when we found out you were missing, we didn't go. How about we have dinner there tonight? That's of course if you're not too tired?"

"No, it sounds lovely, Maxwell."

"Yes, we'd love to go."

"Splendid. I'll just go and call to make reservations."

When Maxwell had left, CC stood up.

"I'm going to my room to take a shower." Niles nodded and stood up as well.

"I'll do the same. Besides, I need to get some of all these many layers of clothes off." Fran nodded.

"Yeah, you should both do that. Do you want to rest until dinner?" CC shook her head.

"No, I think I'd actually like to have a look around town to see, if there's anything I'd like to bring home with me." Niles nodded.

"Yes, I'd like that too." Fran clapped her hands in excitement.

"Ooh shopping. I'm in. I found a lot of great stores the other day. Go take your shower because there's plenty of places to go and very little time." Normally CC would've rolled her eyes at Fran, but instead she chuckled.

"Alright Fran, I'll hurry."

"You too, Niles." Niles chuckled too.

"Of course."

Niles and CC left hand in hand and he walked her to her door. She gave him a kiss.

"Well, we better hurry."

"Yes."

"Since we're not sleeping in separate rooms tonight, do you want to bring your things to my room, or should I bring my things to your room?"

"I seem to recall, I brought less things on this trip, so how about I bring my things to your room?" She smiled and kissed him.

"Good thinking." She gave him another kiss. "See you in a little while." He nodded and gave her another kiss before walking off towards his own room.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day shopping and then had a lovely dinner. The hotel had told them that the private living room was at their disposal, so after coming back from dinner, they'd gone there to relax. Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie had stayed in the living room for an hour and a half after coming back from dinner, but had then gone to bed.

Fran sat watching Niles and CC sitting closely together on a big armchair. She shook her head in amazement.

"I still can't believe that the two of you are together after all these years of tormenting each other." CC nodded.

"I know, Fran. It's a bit unbelievable to us too. But someday we'll look back on all the shit we've gone through here and laugh. Then, we'll have mind numbing sex."

Niles blushed smiling, Maxwell looked away embarrassed, and Fran was utterly confused by what CC had said.

"You mean all of us? As in a foursome?"

Now Niles looked at Fran like she'd grown an extra head, Maxwell looked even more embarrassed, and CC rolled her eyes.

"No, I wasn't talking about all of us. I was talking about Niles and I. I don't want nor have I ever wanted to have sex with your or Maxwell."

"I don't believe that for a second. Sure you might not have wanted to have sex with me, but you've been throwing yourself at Maxwell for years." CC sighed and nodded.

"Yes, I know it appeared that way, but I did that because it would look good on paper."

"You need to explain that a little better."

"I was raised to believe that I belonged with someone, who had the same social background as I did. I've also never been good with relationships, so when Maxwell became..." She looked at Maxwell and smiled apologetically. "Available." He nodded his understanding. She smiled and continued. "I saw him as the perfect and only chance of me ending up with someone. We knew each other and had some of the same interest, so I thought we'd fit well together. But truth is, we don't, and I've only just truly realized that. I just wish I'd realized it sooner, and especially after you got married. I'm truly sorry for the way I've acted towards both of you. It's really quite embarrassing."

"It's okay, CC. I understand." Maxwell gave her a reassuring smile and so did Fran.

"Me too."

"Thank you both. I hope we can put it all behind us, and move forward as friends."

"Of course we can."

"Even better we'll move forward as family." Maxwell nodded agreeing with Fran.

"Thank you. I'd like that."

"So would I." Niles looked at the clock in the living room. "Well, it's getting late, and we do have an early flight. We should probably head to bed."

"Good idea, Old Man. I'm sure we can all use the rest."

They walked up to their floor together and then said goodnight and walked in opposite directions.

When Niles and CC were in their room, CC yawned and stretched.

"I know there's a nice, big comfortable bed right here, but I'm really too exhausted to do anything else in it other than sleep." He chuckled.

"So am I." He then wrapped his arms around her, so that they were face to face. "Besides, we don't have to rush anything." He gave her his lopsided grin. "We can wait to have mind numbing sex until we get home." She chuckled. "A good night's sleep will probably be what's best anyway." She nodded and kissed him.

"Do you want to use the bathroom first?" He shook his head.

"No, go ahead. I'll just pack the rest of our things. It shouldn't take long."

"Okay."

A couple of minutes later they were both wrapped in each other's arms and under the covers. After a few minutes of making out and saying a quick goodnight, they fell asleep.

* * *

After arriving back to New York, Niles drove the limo to the kennel to pick up Chester and then they all headed home.

While Maxwell, Brighton, and Gracie relaxed the minute they got home, Maggie called Michael to tell him about the trip, and Fran called Val to tell her about Niles and CC. Niles started preparing the food for the last night of Hanukkah with CC's help, and a few hours later the Sheffields, the Fines, Niles, and CC sat down to dinner.

They all had a relaxing evening, but after cooking and doing some last minute cleaning, Niles and CC were too tired to do anything but sleep once they went to bed.

* * *

The day after in the late morning, CC walked into the kitchen with her empty coffee mug. Niles turned around after hanging up his apron and smiled at her.

"Did you and Mr. Sheffield finish with work?"

"Yes, we did, and I can't believe it. It's only the 23rd, and we don't have to do any work until after New Year."

"So I guess you're all set to go shopping with the girls?" She groaned slightly.

"Not exactly. I mean, I'll gladly go shopping with Maggie and Gracie, and it wasn't bad being out shopping with Fran in Canada. But the thought of being out shopping with Sylvia, Yetta, and Val." She shivered just from the thought of it. "I don't know if I can handle that." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Of course you can." She smiled at him.

"Thanks. But if I can't, I can always use my apartment as an excuse. I'm going back there to get some clothes, so I can always tell them I need to pack more than I actually do."

"I doubt that'll help. Sylvia, Yetta, and Val will probably just want to come with you." She groaned louder than before.

"Oh god. I didn't think about that." He chuckled.

"My advice is to stick to Ms. Margaret and Ms. Grace. That way if either of you need a break from the rest, you can always excuse yourselves and say you're going in another direction to look at some presents."

"That's smart thinking." He smirked.

"Did you expect anything else?" She smiled.

"Nope."

"Good."

"Are you off now too?"

"In a bit. I'm actually ready to leave, but if I do, Mrs. Sheffield will have me taking the limo to drive all of you to town, and I'll probably end up with that task for the rest of the day. And since I've got plenty of things to care of myself, I don't want that." She pouted.

"Too bad. I could've used the company." He smirked.

"You'll just have to do without." She swatted him playfully on the arm, but couldn't help but smile.

Fran entered the kitchen and seemed very eager to go.

"CC, are you ready?"

"Yes, Fran."

"Then let's go. We've got places to go and lots of presents to buy. I'll meet you outside."

"I'll be right there."

"Okay. See you later, Niles."

"Bye." Fran left and Niles kissed CC. "You better go." She nodded. "Enjoy your day."

"You too." They gave each other one last kiss before she was off.

* * *

In the late evening CC found herself walking into the kitchen again. This time she was accompanied by Maxwell and Fran. Niles was already there doing the last cleaning for the day.

"Well, Fran and I are off to bed. Goodnight."

"Night-night guys."

"Goodnight, Sir. Goodnight Ma'am."

"Goodnight." CC turned her attention to Niles once Maxwell and Fran had left the kitchen. "Do you need any help cleaning up?" He shook his head.

"No. I'm just going to load the dishwasher and then I'm done. You can go ahead and go upstairs." She nodded and did as he'd said.

* * *

When CC walked into Niles' room she thought about getting ready for bed, but then remembered that she hadn't unpacked the things she'd picked up from her apartment earlier in the day. Even though Niles hadn't given her a drawer, she decided she'd just put her things among his.

She got her underwear from her suitcase and was about to make room for it in his top drawer, when she felt something small and hard, but with a soft surface. Curiosity got the better of her, and she put her underwear on the nearby chair to get a better look at her findings.

The familiar feeling of her findings made her gasp slightly, but she gasped even more when she found herself standing with a small black box in her hand, which she assumed could only contain one thing. She opened the box and found herself looking at the most beautiful diamond ring, she'd ever seen.

She took the ring out of its box to get a better look, and gasped even more that time when she read the inscription, which included her name. When she heard the door open, she put the ring back in the box, and turned around to face Niles just as he closed the door.

Being too surprised with her findings, she held out the box in front of her instead of trying to hide the fact that she'd found the ring.

"I thought you said it was a bit early to propose seeing as we'd just gotten together." He gaped at her.

"Whe…ho…wh…wha…" He took a deep breath to try to calm himself, so that he could say something coherent. "How did you come to have that in your hand?"

"I was putting my clothes away, and wanted to make some room for my underwear in the top drawer. When I went to remove your underwear, I felt the box." She looked at him a bit embarrassed. "Curiosity got the better of me, and I took out the box, opened it, and even took out the ring to get a better look." She swallowed a bit nervously. "I read the inscription, and the ring is clearly meant for me. Did you buy it today?"

He sighed and shook his head.

"No." She frowned.

"Then when did you buy it?"

"Years ago." Her eyes widened in surprise, and Niles knew he better explain. "I told you I've only ever pictured you as my wife."

"Yes."

"Well, for Margaret's tenth birthday, Mr. Sheffield and the late Mrs. Sheffield thought she needed her first real expensive bracelet. They'd picked it out, but it needed some adjustments, so they couldn't take it with them at that time. Of course, I was sent to pick it up when it was ready, and that's when I noticed the ring. It was the most beautiful diamond ring, I'd ever seen and it reminded me so much of you. For some foolish reason, I had a closer look at it, and when I was told it was one of a kind, I knew that I had to have it. I didn't care if I never got to give it to you, just as long as no one else got to wear what I always thought of as your ring. I decided to have it engraved, so that I would never be able to take it back."

"Maggie's tenth birthday? That's almost ten years ago. You've had that ring for almost ten years?"

"Yes."

She knew how much he loved her and how much he'd always loved her. That much had been clear to her during the last couple of days. But despite that, she'd never thought that he loved her that much, to actually spend quite a lot of money on something that he might never get to give. And especially not a ring.

She didn't know if she was supposed to smile, but she couldn't help but smile a little.

"I'm deeply touched." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I wish I'd known sooner how you felt, or that I had been honest about my feelings for you sooner. We've wasted so much time."

"We agreed to let the past be, remember? We can't change it, so there's no need to dwell on it." She nodded.

She then looked down at the box and fumbled with it a bit before looking up at him again.

"I really didn't mean to be so nosy. But now that I've found the ring, what do we do with it?"

She wanted him to ask her to marry him and held her breath waiting for an answer.

Niles shook his head and sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to propose like this."

She released her breath and nodded giving him a small smile. However, on the inside she was devastated.

"That's okay."

She held out the box for him to take, which he did. He then placed it back where she had found it and closed the drawer. Instead of hugging her like she thought he would, he went to the stereo and put on some music. Seconds later she once again found herself dancing in his arms to 'The Way You Look Tonight'. Even though the song was playing on the stereo, Niles still sang along.

When the song ended, the CD continued to play, but Niles stopped singing along. Instead he kissed CC and then dropped to one knee.

She stared wide eyed at him.

"You say we've wasted enough time and I fully agree. I came close to losing you twice in less than a week and I've realized just how precious life is, and that we should live each day to the fullest. I should've told you how I felt years ago, but I'm telling you now. CC, I love you more than anything else. I want to banter with you, fight with you, make up with you, dance with you, make love with you, laugh with you, and share everything with you for the rest of our lives. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

She was crying tears of joy when he finished his proposal.

"Yes, yes, yes, Niles. I would love to marry you."

He smiled from ear to ear before standing up and taking her in his arms. He spun her around a few times, and then kissed her passionately and deeply.

"You've made me the happiest man alive."

"And you've made me the happiest woman alive. I love you too." They kissed again.

Niles then let go of her and got the ring out of the drawer and placed it on her finger. He kissed her hand.

"This isn't really how I wanted to propose either. I had started to plan it, and thought of asking you some time between Christmas and New Year's Eve. I wanted it to be perfect." She cupped his face and kissed him.

"It was perfect, Niles. Your proposal was beautiful. I would've been happy to accept your proposal anywhere." They smiled at each other and continued kissing.

When the kissing got a bit more intense they both knew what it was leading to. Niles looked her in the eyes.

"Are you exhausted? Because if you are, please tell me now. Otherwise I don't think I'd be able to stop." She grinned.

"I've never felt more refreshed." He grinned too.

"Good."

He walked them over to the bed and lay them down, and they started kissing again. After a few seconds of kissing and touching each other's bodies, Niles groaned frustrated and rolled onto his back stopping their actions.

Being totally confused by his actions, she lay there staring up at the ceiling before she rested on her elbow and looked down on him.

"Niles, what's wrong?"

"I just remembered, I forgot to buy something when I was out shopping today." She shook her head still confused.

"What did you forget to buy? One of the foods Fran's been craving lately, or some other grocery?"

"No."

"Then what?"

He turned his head away from her, too embarrassed to look her in the eyes.

"Condoms. I don't have any since I haven't had the need for them in years."

She bit her lip as not to grin from how cute he was looking. She then smiled lovingly at how considerate he was being. She then brought her hand down to his cheek, and turned his face so that he was looking at her.

"It's okay. I'm on the pill."

"But I have a responsibility too. I meant to buy them today, but there were so many groceries to buy that I completely forgot all about it. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. It's quite alright."

"But I really wanted tonight to be the night we made love for the first time."

"We can still make love. I know we're both clean and healthy."

"So do I, but that's not what I was worried about."

"If that's not the problem then what is?"

"The use of condoms alone and the use of birth control pills alone is not always enough to prevent a pregnancy. But together you'd assume there would be less of a chance of getting pregnant."

"You're afraid that I'll get pregnant?"

"There is that possibility." She smiled a bit sadly.

"I'm rather old, Niles. My biological clock is running out. I'm probably not even able to get pregnant."

"You're not old."

"Still, I can't reset my biological clock." He sat up in bed and so did she.

"You're not old. There's no reason why you couldn't get pregnant. And if we made love tonight and you did get pregnant, then what?"

"I thought you liked children? You wouldn't like your own child or want it?"

"I would _love_ my own child, and of course I would want it. But if anyone's old, it's me."

"You're not old. You're only two years older than Maxwell, and he'll have another baby soon. Besides, I've seen you with Maxwell's children throughout their entire lives, and I know you'd make a wonderful father. I'm the one, who'd suck as a mother." He looked at her stunned.

"Wait. Are you really saying that you'd like a child, but that you fear you'll fail as a mother?"

"Yeah, something like that. I wouldn't hate it if I got pregnant, but I just don't think I'd be a very good mother."

"What on earth makes you say that?"

"Oh come on, Niles. I've known Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie their whole lives, and have you ever seen me take a real interest in them until recently? Or any other child that I've been around, for that matter? We've already established my mother was horrible, and unfortunately I look like her in some ways. And I have a feeling I'd end up being as big of a failure as a mother as she is."

"I don't believe that for a second. I think you'd make a wonderful mother." She rolled her eyes.

"How can you say that? You've seen how I am."

"Yes, I have, and I'm the only one, who has seen that side of you. I know the loving and caring CC Babcock. She's kept herself quite hidden over the years, but she's showing herself more and more. I have no doubt that if she had a child, she'd show that side of her all the time. And you're definitely nothing like your mother. You'll also have me by your side, and I'm not leaving, remember?"

"You'd want to have a baby with me?"

"Yes, I would love to although I still feel I'm a bit too old. I just assumed you didn't want to have a baby."

"I'll admit that it hasn't been at the top of my wish list for years. But seeing Fran pregnant and seeing the relationship, she has with Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie just makes me feel like I'm missing out. I've realized that I'd like to have that connection with someone that I helped create. But the feeling of motherhood has never been stronger than it is now. You make me feel all these wonderful things, which makes me want to bring them to life. But I just still have my doubts that I'll be a good mother."

"Then I'll make you feel it. I'll make you see and understand just how wonderful you truly are. We're together now, and together we can do anything."

"You really believe that, don't you?"

"Yes, I really do. So does all this mean we're trying to have a baby?"

"I want to try, if you do?"

"I want to." They smiled at each other and kissed.

"There are no guarantees, though. We don't know if it'll happen."

"We can get tests done to see if it's possible. Would you like to do that?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll get that done as soon as possible." She smiled seductively at him.

"In the meantime, we can practice. Now remind me what we were doing, before you brought up the fact that you forgot to buy condoms."

"Gladly."

After the first round of lovemaking it took a while before their breathing was under control. CC was the first one to say anything coherent.

"Wow. Mind numbing indeed."

"Yeah, I'd say. You were amazing. I've never felt like that before." He kissed her hand and started to rub circles above her knuckles. She smiled back at him.

"I've never felt like that before either. You were amazing too." She then smirked at him. "Not bad for an old geezer." He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Did you just call me old?"

"Yup, I believe I did."

"Not that long ago, you said I wasn't old." She smirked at him.

"Can't a girl have a change of heart?" He smirked back at her.

"I'll make you regret calling me old." He grabbed hold of her and started tickling her mercifully.

"No, Niles, stop it. Please stop it."

Their laughter and later on more sounds of pleasure filled the mansion throughout most of the night.

* * *

The next morning Maxwell and Fran walked down into the kitchen to find Niles and CC making breakfast.

"Morning guys, and Merry Christm….OH MY GOD." Fran quickly ran over to CC and grabbed her left hand. "YOU'RE ENGAGED?" Maxwell groaned slightly.

"Darling, it's a bit early for yel….wait. Did you say engaged?" Fran held up CC's hand, so that he could see the ring.

"Uh huh."

"Oh my goodness. When did this happen?" Fran rolled her eyes at him.

"And people think I'm the stupid one in this relationship." She swatted his arm. "Well, obviously it happened after we said goodnight, because she wasn't wearing the ring yesterday." Maxwell defended himself.

"Well, it could've happened this morning. As a matter of fact it could've happened just before we came down here." Realizing he could be right she turned to Niles and CC for the answer.

"When did you get engaged?"

"Last night in my room." Fran winked at Maxwell.

"Told you so." He rolled his eyes and nodded but then smiled.

"I must say this is more unexpected news, but also wonderful. Congratulations."

"Congratulations guys. I'm so happy for you."

They shared hugs and a few seconds later a sleepy Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie came down to the kitchen. Brighton rubbed his eyes.

"Did either of you forget to turn off the TV last night?"

"What do you mean, B?"

"Well, Maggie, Gracie, and I have hardly been able to sleep because we heard laughter and other strange noises." Maxwell shook his head, and Fran was equally confused, while Niles and CC blushed.

"I didn't hear anything, Brighton, and I doubt Fran did either."

"Nope. Sorry, B." Maggie noticed CC's engagement ring.

"Are you two engaged?" They smiled at the children.

"Yes." Fran explained further.

"They got engaged last night in Niles' room."

Maggie, Brighton, and Gracie looked at each other realizing that it wasn't a TV they'd heard.

Maggie grinned a little.

"Oh."

Brighton nodded in agreement and grinned too.

"Yeah, I'll say."

Gracie grinned too.

"At least now we know where the sounds came from, and what they were of."

Fran grinned too, knowing now what they were referring to. It took a few seconds for Maxwell to catch on. When he did, he was less than happy.

"WHAT? You mean to tell me that my children heard you two ha….heard….I mean that the noises wer…." He groaned. "Bloody hell."

Maggie and Gracie tried to make the situation better.

"No, we must have heard the TV after all."

"Yeah. Or possibly the wind."

Brighton tried too but wasn't quite as successful.

"Or it could've been a CD playing with wild animal noise." The glare he got from his father made him swallow. "Okay, bad choice of words."

"Okay kids, go congratulate Niles and CC, and let your father have a few moments to breathe."

They did as they were told, and when the hugs were over, Niles looked at them.

"You better wait for breakfast in the dining room."

"Good idea."

When they'd left Niles and CC smiled a little embarrassed at Maxwell.

"We're sorry, Sir. We had no idea that we'd be…"

"Best not to finish that sentence, Niles. You haven't gotten your Christmas bonus yet."

"Of course, Sir. Shutting up now, Sir." Maxwell took a deep breath.

"I'm thrilled for the two of you, but I just don't need to know about….well, you know. And I certainly don't need for the children to hear about it either."

"Of course not, Maxwell. We'll do the best we can. But you won't have to put up with it much longer, seeing as Niles and I will be moving into my apartment. At least until we find a place that's closer to the mansion." Fran smiled at them.

"You want to live close to us?"

"Yes, we do. My apartment is quite a drive away, and we can't exactly live in Niles' room."

"Oy, this is so exciting. First we have a wedding to plan, and now we're going shopping for a home. This is the greatest Christmas ever." She turned to Maxwell and winked at him. "Also because I'm married this year." She gave him a kiss before looking back at Niles and CC. "We better start planning right away. But not until after we've eaten. Is breakfast ready?" Niles chuckled.

"Only a few seconds away."

"Good." She took Maxwell hands. "Come on, Honey. I'm sure the kids are on their best behavior now." Maxwell rolled his eyes.

"They better be or I'm taking away their Christmas presents." Fran looked over shoulder and winked at him.

"Not if you want to get your Christmas present and bonus tonight, Babe."

Maxwell stood still while Fran continued to walk out of the kitchen. Niles and CC had a hard time controlling their laughter, but kept quiet while he was still in the kitchen. He stayed a few seconds without moving, but then walked out of the kitchen without turning around.

Once he was gone, Niles and CC laughed but not too loud.

"I better finish breakfast. I'd hate for Mrs. Sheffield to be mad at me too."

"She was right you know."

"About what?"

"About this being the greatest Christmas ever."

They wrapped their arms around each other, and Niles nodded in agreement.

"The first of many great things to come. Merry Christmas, CC."

"Merry Christmas, Niles."

They kissed and kept kissing for a few more moments before they joined their family in the dining room.

**The End.**


End file.
